In Chapter 15 of the article ”Of the Morals of the Catholic Church,” Augustine defines prudence as being “love making a right distinction between what helps it toward God and what hinders it.” [link]  For Augustine, love is the impetus for prudence, which is certainly a truth.  Due to the fact that God loved us first, we love, and therefore we want to make correct moral decisions based on our love for God and what He has done for us.  However, because of the compelling nature of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over our lives, one has to postulate whether there are not some other driving forces behind the pursuit of prudence in the Christian life.  Fear is a good example.  A correct understanding of the God of the Bible is that he is infinite in Holiness, being the source of all that is good and holy.  If through lack of prudence we do things that are offensive to God, there is no way that He can be pleased with our actions.  This ties in to the idea of “grieving the Holy Spirit,” which I will discuss at a latter time.  Also, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 12:13:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  Prudence is certainly part and parcel of the keeping of the Lord’s commandments.

In personal terms, I have been somewhat under conviction lately about the things that I let myself watch, listen to, and partake of, especially while in the company of others.  This seems to be a big issue in modern culture, because much of what is considered commonplace, especially in the area of humor, is obscene in nature.  The situation is even more difficult for me, in that I find myself in the target market of many of the worst of these comedies: the young adult male.  Recently I have found myself watching movies and trying to make allowances for the inappropriate material.  “I wish they wouldn’t put that in there,” I think to myself, or I say out loud to let others know that I don’t approve.  “This movie would be great if it weren’t for the language” is another popular one.  Oftentimes the material other than the obscenity is truly funny in an innocent way, but does that make it right to sit and watch as actors take the name of the Lord in vain, pervert words, and make light of subjects that should not be mentioned in public?  God forbid that my entertainment and personal pleasure is grievous to the Holy Spirit.

I am also realizing more and more that no matter where I am in life, I have the potential to make an impression upon those around me.  I can either do the easy thing and try to blend in with the culture that allows things like this to go by because it’s the norm, or I can try to be prudent about what I allow myself to watch, listen, and do.

Certainly all truth is God’s truth, and knowing about the culture and the times in which you live is crucial, but there has to be a place where I draw the line.

Here’s a good starting point:

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”